Pursue Your Interests

Perhaps more than any other major, Sociology embodies Cornell’s tradition of “… any person … any study.” Sociology allows you to follow your own interests in the social world, wherever they may lead.

As a recent graduate told us:

“I valued being able to learn about the kinds of things that people don’t often take the time to think about, like power dynamics, domestic violence, drug abuse, and health disparities.”

Sociology courses at Cornell provide a strong foundation in sociological theories, research, and methodological tools, including quantitative and qualitative analyses of surveys, experiments, networks, temporal sequences, or historical or archival data. The conceptual tools of sociology are used to study social behavior and social change at many different levels of analysis, including individual actions or speech, people, schools, firms and organizations, social networks, neighborhood or spatial communities, and nation states.

What unites sociologists is our commitment to developing a rigorous, systematic, and evidence-based understanding of how our social context affects our behavior and, how our collective behavior creates social institutions and patterns within society.

The sociological perspective and research methods give our majors a unique ability to analyze the social world. A recent graduate told us:

“What I value most is the frame of thinking that I learned through the sociology major. I appreciate the holistic approach to social issues that I learned, and the scientific, analytical methods that I’ve learned to use to examine issues of social justice.”

With these skills, Sociology majors are well-prepared for a wide range of graduate programs and careers. Read on for more information.